Whatever Happened to the Fastest Man Alive?
by Fate8
Summary: What if Wally West returns to a world no longer his own? Guest starring the Justice League and as many DC characters as I an cram into the story. First fic in a long, long time. Reviews always appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

It began with a shimmer in the air. A nearby cow looked up from feeding as faint waves appeared in empty space, small at first, then growing larger and more rapid. The cow ambled off as a human hand pushed through the ripples. It reached forward, covered in a silvery aura. The hand was followed by an arm and the impression of a face. Suddenly, the odd-colored membrane popped, and a figure ran out onto the green grass. Clad in a scarlet bodysuit, the man stooped over with his hands upon his knees, taking great shuddering breaths.

"I...don't...ever...want...to do...that...again," he wheezed. "Ever." Another minute of deep breathing, and he straightened up to look around. "This is the right place," he said. He tapped the JLA communicator embedded in his cowl. "Hello, anybody read me?" The only reply was static. "Hello, Watchtower? This is the Flash. Is anyone home?" He heard nothing but white noise. "Maybe it was damaged doing the inter-dimensional mambo," he said. "I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way."

The Flash stretched once, with his arms over his head, and then was gone in a scarlet blur. His passing stirred a small wind that rattled the leaves on the ground. It took him a couple of moments to find out he had returned in Alabama, of all places. For the Fastest Man Alive, it was just a short jaunt from there to Keystone City, home to the Flash Museum. The museum had a fully functional JLA transporter in the private wing, just in case it was ever needed.

The Scarlet Speedster zoomed across country and through the streets of Keystone, dodging traffic like it was standing still. The Flash had always found a great joy in running, and he smiled as he zipped about town. He slowed, and then came to a halt in front of the museum, except it wasn't there. He stood and stared at a strip mall where the museum should have been standing. He cocked his head to one side, his right foot tapping the sidewalk. He quickly checked the address then came back to his original spot, staring at something that made no sense.

"What is going on here?" he asked of the empty air.

"Hey, you're the Flash," called out a voice to his right. The hero turned and saw a black man in his late thirties walking toward him.

"That's me," said the Flash.

The man reached out his hand. "I've never met one of the superheroes before," he said.

The Flash shook the man's outstretched hand. "Now, you have," he said. "What is your name, sir?

"Harvey Jones," replied the man, still with a look of wonder upon his face.

"Mr. Jones, do you know how long this has been here?" asked the Flash, waving his arm in the general direction of the strip mall.

Jones looked at it, then squinted a little as he thought. "Oh about ten years, I'd say. Been awhile."

I see. I see," said Flash. Has there ever been a museum on this spot?"

Harvey Jones thought some more. "No," he said. "I don't believe there ever was."

"Mr. Jones, have you ever heard of the Flash Museum?"

"Sure, there is one over in Central City. Are they building another one somewhere?"

_"Central City,_ thought the Flash. _"Home of the original Flash Museum. Weird_." He turned and grasped the man's hand again, vigorously pumping it up and down. "Thank you, Mr. Jones. You have been a tremendous help."

Sure," replied Jones, but he barely got the word out before he was battered by bits of papers and small pieces of debris rising up in the Flash's wake as he sped away. "Superheroes, he muttered, sure are an odd bunch."

The Flash screeched to a halt in front of the Flash Museum. _"It shouldn't be here,"_ thought the speedster. In his experience, the museum had been destroyed years ago and a new one built in Keystone. Something was definitely off. He ran up to the front door and punched in the lock combination to open the door. It didn't work, and the red light on the control panel seemed to mock him. He thought about trying thousands of combinations at super speed, but doing so would likely fry the circuitry.

"Okay," said the Flash. "We do it the hard way. Again." He began to vibrate his entire body until he was just a fuzzy shape. When he was sure he had the right frequency, he stepped through the thick glass door into the museum. The Flash let out a sigh of relief. Earlier in his career that trick would have blown the door apart, and maybe the whole front wall. It had taken him years to master vibrating through solid matter without exploding whatever he had passed through.

The Flash stood on the far side of the door. He knew the building would have alarms. Cameras wouldn't bother him, but motion detectors might if they were calibrated high enough. It was possible the museum would be equipped with advanced technology that he didn't know about, Thanagarian or something. He reached into his memory for the layout of the museum, even with the possibility that it wasn't the same as he remembered, he knew where the transporter must be if one was here. After all, he had seen it there several times when he was younger. He ran through the museum, betting he could be gone before the alarms could alert the authorities of a break-in. The flashes he saw of the exhibits were strange to him. Things he remembered were definitely different, and many things were missing. He made it to the basement door and stopped. It was heavy-grade metal with a series of complex-looking locks, the lights of which regarded him balefully. The Flash tuned up his vibration rate to match the door and stepped through with no problem.

Slowing down to normal, he spied his prize over in a far corner. A JLA transport tube, ready and waiting. He went over and looked it over. _"This must be an older model,_ he thought. _"I wonder what kind of recognition it uses."_

Suddenly the vault-like door behind him swung open, crashing against the wall. A commanding voice said, "Stop right there! Move away from the equipment and get down on the floor!"

The Flash put up his hands and slowly turned around. He knew that voice. "Barry, is that you?" A second scarlet-clad figure stepped into the room. The two men stared at each other in silence, for what was to them an eternity.

"Barry, it's me, Wally." The newcomer said nothing, but continued to look fixedly at the Flash. "Look, I'll show you," said Wally. He slowly reached down and peeled back his mask, showing a shock of reddish hair, green eyes and a ridge of small freckles across the nose. He stood expectantly as the other man studied his face.

"I don't know you", he said.

"What?" stammered Wally. This was rapidly turning worse that he had imagined.

"What I do know," said Barry Allen, "is that you broke into this museum and were about to attempt to use private, classified technology without permission." He kept up his cop voice, because inwardly he was rocked that this stranger knew his real name. Barry could also see that this was no run-of-the-mill thief. Speed Force power was just pouring off of him. He was also taken aback that the guy was wearing his uniform, or a close approximation of it, anyway.

Wally's thoughts were racing. Something was very wrong here, and they were not going to get answers by standing around in a basement. "Barry," he said. "I know this looks strange. Take me to the League and we'll get this figured out."

"Get what figured out, exactly?"

"Things are wrong," said Wally as he began to pace the floor. "I don't know how much, but this isn't right. Take me in and I'll tell you the whole story."

Barry Allen considered the proposition. He was, in fact, curious about this fellow given the new guy's knowledge and obvious power set. "Let me call the League," he said. "Stay right here until I hear back from them." Barry turned to go, then paused. "

"Don't run," he warned. "I'll catch you."

In the time it took Barry to contact the rest of the League, Wally sat on a crate and tried to sort things out in his head. Try as he might, his thoughts were on a circular track. How was his wife, Linda, and their kids, Jai and Iris? What about the other speedsters he knew about, Jay Garrick, Bart Allen, and the rest? If Barry truly didn't know him, what had become of his aunt Iris West? The questions about his friends and family weighed heavily, and Wally West began to shake. The only thing that kept him from snapping was his faith in the League. They were the World's Greatest Heroes. The League would figure out what was going on and fix it.

After what seemed like a century, Barry returned to the basement. "The League has agreed to hear you out," he said. "We're going to transport up to the satellite. Don't do anything stupid. You won't like what happens if you do." Barry took Wally's arm and led him into the transport tube. The machine clicked over and scanned the duo. "Flash, plus one," said Barry.

"Acknowledged," beeped the machine and the two Flashes vanished in a stream of light.

Not long after, Wally found himself alone in a small, locked conference room, bare but for a round table and chairs. The room was almost blindingly white, making it easy to pick out the cameras and surveillance equipment. Wally could feel Bat-eyes on him each time he moved. He waited, knowing the League was pooling information and going over options. But, it was getting harder to just wait. He wasn't used to it and it was never a strong point with him anyway.

Soon the double doors opened, and the Justice League entered. Wally watched as they walked in and formed a semi-circle around him. He knew all of them, for which he was grateful. Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Batman all faced him wearing solemn looks. The final member to enter the room clanked inside and made Wally's heart leap with joy.

"Vic," he shouted as he stood up from one of the chairs. The other Leaguers all tensed, but Cyborg just stared at Wally as his facial recognition software looked for a match. It found none.

"You know my name," said Cyborg in a flat voice. "But I've never seen you before."

Wally sank back into his chair. "We were on a team together when we were kids," he said softly. "The Teen Titans."

"That never happened," said Cyborg.

"We ran a check on the identity of Wallace West out of Blue Valley, Nebraska," broke in Batman. "There is such a person living there. He works as a mechanic in a car dealership, and looks remarkably like you."

"You understand that we have to check things out as completely as possible," said Superman as he floated around behind Wally. "Why don't you tell us how you came to be here?"

Wally sighed. "It's fairly complicated," he began. He waved an arm at the other Flash in the room. "I'm sure Barry can fill you on some of the more technical details, if you need them. It wasn't long after we had fought off a super-powered zombie invasion. I was cleaning up part of St. Roch after helping to defeat the Royal Flush Gang. I was contacted by someone from another dimension to try and stop an Alpha-level entropy effect from destroying their universe. So, seeing as I was a hero always ready to fight the good fight, I went with. It was a close thing, but we finally got it stopped, and then I came back."

"How exactly do your transverse dimensions?" asked Green Lantern.

Wally glanced at Barry, who was not forthcoming. Wally sighed again, then continued. "It's a power that speedsters have," he said. "We match our inner vibrations to that of the other dimension and just slip through the barriers between the two."

"How do you know what the vibrational rate is for the other dimension?"

"It helps a lot if you have access to something from that dimension. Luckily, inter-dimensional dude was able to give me a face-to-face."

"And how do you return?" asked Wonder Woman.

"Easy," said Wally. "Stop vibrating."

"You are convinced that this is the world you came from...," said Batman.

"The vibration rate don't lie," interrupted Wally.

"And that this world has been significantly changed," continued the Dark Knight. "Yet, none of us, or any of our contacts can confirm your claims. It is much more likely that you are the anomaly."

"Look, just get J'onn up here," said Wally. "He can verify everything I've said as the truth."

"Who is J'onn?" asked Barry.

"J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter." said Wally. "Big, green telepathic alien. Ring a bell?"

Superman and Batman exchanged a hurried glance. "He knows the Martian," said Batman.

"The Martian is not a friend of the League," said Superman. "He has been...difficult to deal with."

"We may not have a Martian," said Wonder Woman, uncurling her magic lasso, "but we have this. We'll get to the truth."

"Ah, I hate that thing," said Wally. "I always end up saying something embarrassing. But, if it's the only way, let's get it over with." He relaxed as the lasso wrapped around him, and he began to speak.

Later, the League gathered in another location to discuss what they had learned from the interrogation. "He believes that what he said is the truth," said Wonder Woman.

"So, what do we do about it?" asked Aquaman. "Some of the things he told us were disturbing."

"We still have no evidence," said Batman, "or anything resembling a course of action."

"And even if we did," said Barry, "should we condemn everyone on this planet to bring back the world of one man? If we helped him and somehow pulled this off, what happens to us, to our world?" There was a long silence as every hero drank in the Flash's words.

"What are we to do with him?" asked Superman. "Diana says he's a good man, a hero in his own right. We can't leave him up here to rot in space. He could help us."

"I don't want him running around unsupervised," said Batman. "Not with his power and likely mindset. Nor do I want him on the satellite with access to our equipment and records."

"He will need time to adjust," said Superman. "Maybe we could set him up somewhere until he gets his bearings." He glanced over at Batman. "You can rig it up to your liking, Bruce."

Great," said Green Lantern. "Who is going to tell him his world is gone forever?"


	2. Chapter 2

Wally was sure his pacing was going to wear a hole through the floor, but he couldn't sit still, not with his future, his life, in question. He looked up as the doors swished open and Superman, Cyborg and Barry Allen entered the room. Their faces were somber, and Wally felt the first tick of real anxiety rush through him.

"Sit down, Wally," said Superman, "We need to talk." The Man of Steel indicated a chair at the table. Wally sat, his hands clasped in front of him, and leaned forward. The other three sat facing him. Superman cleared his throat. "The League has discussed your situation, and...we can't help you."

Wally felt an electric shock travel through his body. "What do you mean you can't help? You're the Justice League. You're supposed to make things right!" He felt heat rush to his face, and his right foot began to rapidly tap the floor.

Cyborg noticed the sudden increase in energy fluctuation. His risk assessment went up to orange, and his CPU calculated that using logic would be the best way to diffuse the situation before escalation. "Wally," he said, "listen to reason." Victor's voice had little in the way of human warmth. "We do not doubt that you are telling us the truth, but you must see it from our perspective. For us, the world is as it should be. You cannot expect us to try and change it on the word of one man."

"We are sworn to protect this world," said Superman.

Wally shot to his feet and he leaned further over the table. Lightening danced in his eyes. "How can this be your answer? If any of the other Leaguers came to you with this story, you'd go to any lengths to fix it."

"You're not in the League," said Barry. "We don't know anything about you."

"That is a hell of a thing for you to say to me," shot back Wally. Barry's blue eyes never blinked.

"Everyone calm down," said Superman. His voice was smooth, but it carried an undercurrent of authority. Wally remained standing for a second, then slumped down into his chair. Barry stopped his subtle vibrating. "We are not unsympathetic to your plight, Wally. We will help you adjust. Give you a new identity. A setup to get you started. You can still continue to be a hero and fight the good fight. We can always use someone like you on our side."

"Sure Supes, whatever you say," mumbled Wally.

"We also think it would be for the best if you established yourself somewhere away from Central City. Or Blue Valley, for that matter," said Barry. "And, you'll have to give up being the Flash. Having more than one would just confuse people."

Wally's glance was full of daggers, but he held his tongue.

"You could be The Blur or Blue Lightening, or whatever alter ego you choose," finished Barry.

"Batman is setting up the details as we speak." said Superman. "You will have to remain here a bit longer, but we will have you back planetside in no time."

"Awesome," said Wally quietly.

The three Leaguers stood and then left the room, leaving Wally his own devices. He tried to think of a way out of this situation, but couldn't come up with a credible plan. He had never been one of the big thinkers of the hero set. He ran fast and when action was called for, he was the first in line. A brain trust he was not. _"Where was Ray Palmer or Mr. Terrific when you really needed them,"_ he thought.

Some time later, Wonder Woman returned and told him he would be staying until the following day. She escorted Wally to some guest quarters where he could shower, rest, and change into some fresh clothes. She also informed him where the dining hall was located if he was hungry and the availability of computer access in his room. "In case you want to get caught up on the world," she said. Wally intended to do just that.

Except for a short shower and a run to the chow hall for a sandwich, Wally spent the rest of the night glued to the computer screen in his room. He researched every name and organization he could remember. Too many times he came up empty. No mention of the Justice Society or his group of Teen Titans. No trace of Donna or Garth anywhere. No history of Max Mercury or Jesse Quick. He even googled himself, but that too was empty. Apparently, his double in this world didn't even have a Facebook page. The search for old friends and comrades did nothing to lift Wally's spirits. By the time he quit, he was throughly depressed. He decided to try a new track and worked on looking up the history of the heroes he knew did exist here to see if he could sift some clue as to what had happened. Some of the results were surprising to say the least. The Justice League had been together only five years, forming to repel an invasion by Apokolips. "That's not right," said Wally.

He almost spewed half-chewed roast beef over the monitor when he found the pictures of Superman and Wonder Woman kissing. "You've got to be kidding," he managed. This was indeed a strange world.

Feeling that he had put it off long enough, he finally searched for Linda Park, and found her. She was working as a reporter for a television station in Central City. Wally stared at her profile picture on the station website for a long time. Linda has always been his touchstone, his anchor to the world. She had saved him more times than he could count with nothing more than her love. More than once he had spurned nirvana in the Speed Force just to return to her side. He reached out and stroked her face on the screen.

"I'll find a way," he said.

Early the next day, there came a knock on his door. Wally opened it to find Superman standing before him. "Hello, Wally," he said. " Are you ready to see your new home?"

"Lead on, Big Blue."

The pair materialized outside of a country farmhouse. The air was clean and under their feet was a carpet of green grass. Wally looked around, but didn't see another soul in sight. "Isolated," he said.

"We felt it would be best as you adapted," replied Superman. "There is a fair-sized town nearby, and this place has been equipped with all you will need to jump start a new life."

"Right," said Wally. "And Batman set all of this up?"

"Yes."

"Should I even look for all of the surveillance equipment or would that be a waste of time?"

A small smile crept across Superman's face. "I wouldn't," he said. "Even if you found it, he would just sneak back and plant more."

Wally nodded. "That's what I thought."

"There is an identity packet inside," continued Superman. "It will give you important details like your new name, your background, even a bank account."

"That's great," said Wally. "where are we, anyway?"

"Oh. South Carolina. Sorry about not mentioning that before."

"It's a small matter," said Wally, waving off the comment.

"I have to say, you're taking this much better than I would in your situation," said Superman.

"Sure, but what can I do? You've gotta play the cards you are dealt. These are mine."

"I'm glad you are making this as easy as possible given the circumstances," said Superman. He held out his hand. "This is a Justice League communicator. When you are ready to join the ranks of the world's heroes, just call and let us know. Take your time, there's no rush, but know we'll be happy to have you."

"Thanks," replied Wally. "That means so much." He took the device and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Well, I've got to be going," said Superman. "Call us if you need anything."

As the Man of Steel turned to go, Wally said, "Mind if I ask you something personal?"

"Go ahead."

"How long have you and Wonder Woman been romantically involved?"

"Not very long. Why do you ask?"

"No real reason. I just find it's strange, that's all."

"Are we not seeing one another in your reality?"

"No," said Wally. "That would be out of character for both of you."

A moment of silence passed. "Out of curiosity," said Superman, "was I involved with someone in your world?"

"Oh, yeah. Definitely."

"Who?"

Wally waved off the question. "It doesn't matter now. Forgive my question. It's just something else I'll have to get used to here."

"Okay, if there's nothing else..."

"Go save the world," said Wally. "I've got plenty to do." He watched as Superman rose up into the sky and then sped off into the wild blue yonder.

Wally walked inside and looked around his new home. It appeared to be normal, but he really doubted that was the case. He spied the information packet lying on the table along with a set of keys. He casually flipped through it. His new name was to be William Garrison, from Kansas. Included was his resume, school records, fake college degree, birth certificate, social security card, voter I.D. card, driver's license and other forms of documentation.

_"They took my name, my identity, my life and my world,"_ he thought. _"And they expect me to smile and take it. That's not gonna happen. I'll get my life back or die trying." _All he needed was a plan. Wally West sat down on his couch and began to think.


End file.
